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Simple method to ensure water is safe for drinking
By Our Special Correspondent
A bottle of safe drinking water after being treated with silver wire.
Bangalore
Dec. 13.
How safe is that drinking water is the question agitating many in Bangalore, especially with many being dependant on groundwater for their needs, and with contamination of piped water unavoidable.
Not all can afford electrical/ozonised water purifiers but a simple, cost-effective method is being made available by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology.
A.R. Shivakumar, Senior Fellow, KSCST, says water with bacteriological contamination as high as 300 MPN (most probable number) per 100 ml can be effectively treated with a silver wire. If that sounds too expensive, even a copper wire will do. The way to do it is by suspending in one litre of raw water a silver wire of 0.3 cm diameter and 30 cm long (1/8 inches and 12 inches) for eight hours. The bacterial count is reduced to zero after that time and the water becomes safe for drinking.
"This is effective for borewell, open well, collected rainwater or any other water with high bacteriological content. The strong bactericidal and germicidal property of sliver is the concept used here. Experiments were conducted by taking raw water from a borewell, an open well and rooftop rainwater, directly in one litre plastic bottles and then suspending the silver wire in the water. After eight hours the treated water was 100 per cent free from bacteria and drinkable,'' Mr. Shivakumar says. Experiments were also conducted by lining the inside of containers with a thin silver foil and the water quality was found potable. The samples of water before and after treatment were tested at certified water testing laboratories such as those of the State Mines and Geology Department and an ISO 9001:2000 company, Lifeguard Laboratories.
Those who cannot afford a silver wire can use a copper wire of 1 mm diameter, taken out from an electric bulb; this has to be 24 inches long and can be suspended in the water container for eight hours. "This method of treatment does not alter the salts and chemical composition of water while doing away with bacteria. The time taken to treat water can be reduced for the same quantity of by using a larger silver wire. While copper wire can be used; use of copper vessels can lead to copper toxicity,'' he adds.
Mr. Shivakumar's residence is known in the city as an "eco-friendly home''. It has used only rainwater for the past nine years and no supply from BWSSB. It also has a rooftop solar energy system for heating, lighting and cooking.
The garden has a vermicompost unit and the walls have built-in insulation to keep the interiors cool in summer.
Three years ago, Mr. Shivakumar won a national award for the high efficiency, low wattage electric water heater designed by him.
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